The gift of Anubis
by vastare
Summary: She had offered her life once to keep the gifts from falling into evil hands. Now 5000 years later this same evil is back and even more powerful. Will she be able to stop him or will he gain the power of the God of death himself?
1. Epilogue of a princess

**The gift of Anubis.**

**By Anime-Goddess-Sakura**

Hi, guys! Well, here's the first chapter of this fic. I've decided to rewrite this fic, for some reason it wasn't working for me anymore. There aren't any major changes, but they're enough to make the story better. I hope you guys enjoy it.

**Summary:**

**She had offered her life once to keep the gifts from falling into evil hands. Now 5000 years later this same evil is back and even more powerful. Will she be able to stop him or will he gain the power of the God of death himself? **

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**Chapter 1 **

**The prologue of a princess.**

Ancient Egypt

"Princess, they have infiltrated the castle." a guard said while bowing in front of his princess.

He had unruly short dark brown hair that was spiky and stuck up and his eyes were a beautiful shade of azure eyes. He was tall and well-build. He was wearing a silver kind of skirt. (Egyptian style) He kneeled in front of her showing his respect. The princess was sitting on her thrown. A silver staff with a black crystal on it was positioned in her tiny hand.

"Then we shall act quickly; the gifts mustn't fall in Exa's hands." She said with a serious and determined voice.

"But princess, the others haven't come back yet."

"We cannot wait any longer." The princess said resolutely.

She was wearing a long black skirt that had slits on both sides that came just below her hips. She had also on a kind of silver bikini top. Her long hair was pulled up in a ponytail with strands hanging around her face. She was young, yet her sea-blue eyes shone with knowledge of ages. She was breathtaking to say the least. Her aura radiated confidence that any warrior would be jealous of.

"Anubis protectors!" she yelled while hitting the staff on the ground.

In front of her appeared four creatures. They had the body of men. Yet they possessed the face of a dog-like creature. They kneeled in front of the girl waiting for her orders.

"Stall them as long as you can my faithful servants." She ordered them.

"Kill them if necessary." Those were her last words before the four creatures ran at super human speed to stop their enemies.

With that the princess stood up. The princess began walking away. However she was stopped by her guard's question.

"Princess…are you going to be okay?" he asked looking worriedly at the young girl.

She knew that he would worry about her. He was not only her most trusted guard, but also her best friend. He was like a brother to her. He even wished to be more. Yet that could never be. Her heart belonged to another. Turning around she looked at her best friend.

Her blue eyes shone almost eerily in the darkness, half of her face was obscured by the shadows, while the rest was illuminated by the candle light. Darkness and Light, the guard mused, which in some sense she was. The princess was benevolent and kindhearted and loved to help people, but with her enemies and those that dared to harm others, she was unmerciful.

She was every bit a warrior that was expected of her and yet there were times when he could detect that longing to be free of her duties in her large blue eyes. He longed to be able to help her, to set her free, but he knew that what the Gods chose for her, only they could undo. His green eyes saddened as he let his gaze wander over her soft features. She was barely a woman, but already her heart and soul were old and wise beyond years.

He was brought out of his musings by her soft voice. The sound was pleasing to his ears, soft and gentle, but at the same time strong and commanding.

"Only the faiths will know." she said giving him one last glance before she continued walking.

He wanted to stop her, to tell her that he would protect her, but he couldn't. She knew what she had to do as did he. He was surprised when she stopped in her tracks.

"Please be save." she whispered pleadingly before walking away again.

The guard could do nothing more then look at her retreating figure. For one moment, he was reminded of the young little girl that he was once knew. He had wanted to see her face as she had pleadingly whispered those words to him, but he knew that whatever weakness that she might have shown at the moment wasn't for him or anyone to see. She was the protector of the gifts of Anubis and therefore she couldn't show any weakness.

As he again recalled her words, he got a terrible feeling. For some reason he felt that he wasn't going to see her again. The thought alone, made his heart stop. No, he wouldn't allow that. She couldn't leave him.

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Meanwhile the Anubis protectors were fighting the intruders. They were fast with their sharp claws; they easily tore through the mortal's flesh. The floor was already littered with dozens of corpses and the heavy metallic scent of blood permeated the air.

A man with silver green eyes and darkly tanned skin looked at the scene with a smile on his face. He had long raven black hair that was tied in a long braid, which hung loosely on his back. He was wearing a long dark blue pair of pants. He was bare-chested showing off his well-defined chest. He was tall and lean, yet muscular. A golden necklace hung loosely around his neck. An arm bracelet around each upper arm and an earring dangling from his left ear, those were his other accessories.

He was enjoying the fight. He didn't flinch when one of the Anubis protectors slashed one of his men. The sound of their screams sounded like music to his ears. Blood coated the ground around his feet. He hungrily licked his lips. He lived for this, the carnage, the death, the blood. Looking around he watched as one of the Anubis warriors carelessly decapitated one of his soldiers. He snorted in disdain, his soldiers were lacking in performance. Good help was so hard to find these days, he mused as he scanned the room.

He knew that the princess wouldn't give up that easily. She was a feisty little thing. She had the spirit that any men wanted to possess. She reminded him of a tigress. They would fight till the end. And they were even more dangerous when they felt that the end was near. She would not bow down to him, he knew that. Yet he didn't mind this one bit, besides he liked a challenge. Taming her would be perfect and exciting. His grin widened. It was amusing to see his worthless men get slaughtered by the princess' guardians, but it was time to end the fight.

With a snap of his fingers, a red tornado engulfed the four Anubis protectors including his own men that were fighting against them. The tornado quickly disappeared leaving no sign of the fighters behind. He elegantly stepped over the bodies of those that were exterminated by the Anubis protectors. Not giving a second glance he proceeded to find the princess and the gifts. The thought of that alone made his heartbeat increase. He couldn't wait to find them.

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A pain went through her body, the sign that her servants were taking care of. She could always re-summon them, but she was lacking the strength at that moment. It's been a while since her powers had been diminishing. She wasn't sure what was the cause…or did she? Her hands fisted at her side as she thought about a certain someone. She wanted to hate him for invading her heart and her thoughts, but at the same time she wished to be free to be with him. Her powers were diminishing for her heart that was supposed to be unattached wasn't anymore. Banishing her thoughts she quickly continued walking through the passageway. Her feelings didn't matter, her duty came first she reminded herself. Then why did the thought of leaving him behind hurt her so much?

Her face lightened up just for a bit as her destination came into view. Large golden doors stopped her in her tracks. Ancient hieroglyphics decorated in silver adorned the two doors. She knew what was written there by heart. It described her destiny, it described her duty. Resting her hands on the door, she closed her eyes for a moment. Once she set foot in there, there would be no turning back. Taking one last deep breath, she pushed the doors open.

Candles that were out, quickly flamed to live as the princess stepped into the room. She heard the doors shut behind her, but she didn't even take a look at them as she walked into the room. The room was illuminated by hundreds of small white candles, casting shadows all around her. In the middle of the room was a big statue of the Egyptian God Anubis made out of pure white ivory. An altar was put in front of him that had some items on it. Only the moonlight shone on them through the opening in the roof.

Silently the princess looked over the objects on the table. There were twelve in total, twelve that held so much power, twelve that could very well destroy everything in the world if in the wrong hands, twelve that she protected. They glittered in the moonlight. Taking a deep breath she began to speak.

"My lord Anubis, I ask of you to protect these gifts until my reincarnation appears, which will serve you as faithful as I did." She said while bowing her head in front of the statue.

She picked up a knife. It was beautiful yet deadly as well. The handle was made out of pure silver and had the face of Anubis carved in it. The blade glimmered in the moonlight.

"By the blood of the north and the south that had united I seal my wish." She made a cut in her hand and let the blood drop on the altar.

"May the gifts be guarded and protected." At that same moment all of the gifts began glowing.

And the eyes of the Anubis statue turned bright red. Shivers ran down her spine as wind began blowing around her. The candles were blown out. The only light in the room was what was provided by the moon. Her eyes were glued to the items on the altar.

She quickly whirled around as the doors behind her, were unceremoniously thrown open. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed who was standing there.

"Honey, I'm home." Exa's cold voice resonated through the room.

"Exa." she said through clenched teeth.

He lifted his gaze to meet her ocean blue eyes. A cocky smile played on his lips the whole time.

"Princess how nice to see you." he said eying her from head to toe.

For some reason the princess felt completely naked in front of this man. He seemed to be undressing her with his eyes. She shivered in disgust, but tried to conceal this was glaring daggers at her enemy. She would never let him see how much he intimidated or innerved her.

"You're too late." she said coldly at him, her eyes boring through his and her voice unwavering.

"What?" his eyes narrowing into slits, giving him a more predatory look.

He scanned his surroundings until his eyes rested on the glowing items. Realization struck him and he could only see red as anger tore through him.

"You bitch!" he sneered at the princess, obviously losing his patience.

He quickly returned his gaze to the items that began to glow brighter before vanishing into thin air. He couldn't believe it.

"You've lost Exa." the princess said with a very sarcastic laugh.

Nevertheless she quickly regretted doing this when she found herself pressed against the wall, with Exa's hand holding her throat. She was surprised. He had moved with god-like speed. She didn't even see him move. Her eyes widened as realization hit her. Looking at him, he could sense what she was unable to sense at first hand. His aura was changed and he possessed more power.

"You've drunk from the fountain from Ra." she chocked out, having difficulty breathing as Exa tightened his hold around her neck.

He chuckled at her statement. She looked so innocent and naïve with her big blue eyes looking so frightened at him. He knew that she was scared. It didn't matter how much she tried to conceal this from him, he could sense it in her aura. Hell, he could even taste it in her scent.

"But it's forbidden, only the priest and priestesses and those chosen by Ra may drink from it." she said with disbelief clearly in her voice.

He chuckled again.

"Tell me princess do I look like someone that would care about stupid rules enforced by commoners?" he asked.

"I take what I want, no exceptions." He said his eyes narrowing very dangerously.

"Now I have more strength, speed and powers."

"Not to mention I've also got the gift of long life." he whispered in her left ear, making shivers go down her spine.

He grinned, before slowly licking her neck. She tried to get loose. However he was too strong. She gasped as she unceremoniously slammed against the wall. She felt the air leave her lungs. She winced and closed her eyes as the pain in her back made itself known.

"You could have saved the gifts… but I still have you as consolation prize." he whispered seductively, her blue eyes shot open and widened in fear.

No it can't end like this. Her mind was screaming at her. She had to get away from this madman. With the last bit of strength she conjured a blast of energy that blasted Exa away, knocking him in the wall across the room. She fell on her knees drained and exhausted. A small smile played on her lips. Her time was nearing an end, she just knew this.

"Pathetic, the great princess of the north and of the south, the chosen one of Anubis is to end like this." She whispered.

She could now see as Exa was getting up and heading right for her. He was clearly pissed off. She grabbed the knife that she had dropped earlier and studied in her hands. She lifted her gaze to see Exa coming from her. Yet she didn't look away. With her blue eyes locked with his green ones she spoke.

"Just like the gifts will never be yours, neither will I…I would prefer to die." With those last words she plunged the knife in her chest.

The pain was unbearable, but after a few seconds she could not feel anything anymore. Her body went numb, letting out a small breath she fell on the floor, a pool of red blood surrounding her. Her eyes were heavy and she felt as death was creeping up on her. She watched for a moment as Exa regarded her with anger filled eyes. Smiling a small smile, she finally closed her eyes. The darkness was so inviting and alluring and she just wanted to sleep.

Yet she could hear a voice far away from her calling her, a familiar voice to be exact. She reopened her eyes to see her best friend and guard kneeling in front of her. His normally alluring azure eyes were filled with tears. She smiled warmly at him. He slowly turned her over and brought her in arms, so that her head was resting against his chest.

"That bastard of Exa has escaped." He hissed.

Yet he calmed when he looked at her. She didn't say anything as she just enjoyed the security that she felt now that she was wrapped in his strong arms.

"Please hang on." He pleaded.

"You ask too much." She whispered while chuckling, causing more blood to come out of her mouth.

"Stop it; you'll hurt yourself even more." He said with a serious voice.

She brushed his remark aside as her eyes rested on the statue of Anubis. She was shocked as all of the sudden an unknown voice whispered in her ears, a message that was only meant for her. She smiled softly as she processed this new information. Turning her gaze back to her friend she spoke.

"Now I understand…there is only one gift." She whispered, her precious red fluid seeping from her tiny mouth.

He looked questioningly at her as he wiped the blood away from her lips. He wasn't sure what she meant, but he didn't ask. She pulled out a tiny ring out of her skirt.

"Give this to my reincarnation." She said handing him the ring.

"She will know what to do." He looked at her tears flowing from his eyes.

"I love you, my brother." She whispered, placing her hand on his left cheek gently wiping away the tears.

Her hand felt cool against his cheek. It pained her to leave him behind. Yet the pain that suddenly went through her heart as she remembered another was even more excruciating.

"Tell him for me…that…I'm sorry…" she whispered almost anxiously as for once tears streamed down her face.

"I…I…" she didn't know what to say, there was so much more that she needed to say.

"Shh." He said placing a finger on her lips as he silenced her.

"I know." He said softly and smiled when she seemed to calm down.

"Thank you." She whispered earnestly a small smile playing on her lips.

With those last words, her eyes closed and her breathing stopped. She had surrendered herself to the awaiting darkness.

"I'll wait for you, my princess." A voice whispered through the walls of the defeated castle, hoping to see his beloved one again.

**TBC…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………**


	2. Past and present reunited

**The gift of Anubis.**

**By Anime-Goddess-Sakura**

**Summary:**

**She had offered her life once to keep the gifts from falling into evil hands. Now 5000 years later this same evil is back and even more powerful. Will she be able to stop him or will he gain the power of the God of death himself? **

**Chapter 2 **

**Past & present reunited.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-OH! Unfortunately…. Anyways enjoy!**

She knew that this was stupid. There was a reason, why she had packed her bags and moved away as soon as she graduated. Only to return to the city that was filled with so many memories, some of them very bitter. She looked out of the taxi window as the passing scenery. It's been about four years, since she's been to this city.

She was now a professional dancer and her name was well known all over the world. She had worked hard to reach her dream and she was proud of herself for being where she was.

Azure blue eyes saddened as she recalled the reason why she left. She wasn't supposed to have fallen in love with him. He was one of her best friends. She had kept telling herself that, but for some reason her heart refused to listen to her common sense. Normally she was one to say out loud what she thought or what she feeling, but when it came to telling him what she felt, she preferred to be a coward and just keep silent.

She kept telling herself that he didn't need to know. That he had his own things to worry about with his past and all and that he probably wouldn't have time for a relationship. And she had been content to love him from afar, even if he didn't know her feelings. However nothing prepared her for the fact when he announced that Ishizu and he were going out. In fact they had been going out for about six months before he had told them. It seemed that he had feelings for the beautiful Egyptian for some time now, but he waited until he got his own body.

She could still remember the others congratulating him and telling him what a lucky bastard he was for snagging such a beautiful girl. She had also smiled and congratulated him, even though she was hurting inside. This had been just before graduation. It had been too much for her, to see the two of them together. So as soon as she graduated, the same night, she packed up her things and moved out of the country to live with a cousin who was studying abroad.

Of course she had left without really explaining herself. She only left them a letter telling them that something really important came up and she had to move away. At first all of her friends had been upset, but as the time passed, they seemed to forget about her. Phone calls and letters became less and less, until she got about only about three a year. He was the only one though that didn't send her a letter or called her. And this hurt her more than he could ever know.

And now here she was in this city again. All because of some weird dreams that kept plaguing her; dreams that for some reason, seemed to point her towards the city of Domino. The dreams were strange to say the least, for a reason or another, they felt like memories.

"Don't worry Miss, we're almost there." The cab driver said looking in the rear mirror.

She smiled at him, nodding her head. Apparently he had noticed her tired eyes. The flight from New York to Japan had been more than she could handle. She had tried go to sleep, but had been unable too with so many thoughts running through her head. Of course the fatigue was now slowly getting to her. Just as her eyes were closing, the screeching of tires startled her.

Her eyes quickly snapped open to a huge truck crashed into them from the right. The cab driver had no time to get out of the away as the huge vehicle rammed into them. Anzu let out a scared shriek as the car spun around dangerously. She let out a painful cry as she hit her head painfully on the window. Her eyes instantly blurred and she could still hear the cries of the cabdriver, but she couldn't do anything as everything went black and she surrendered herself to the awaiting darkness.

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"Yugi, calm down." Yami said looking at the shorter young man as he paced around.

Anzu had called him, telling him that she would be arriving today and she would meet them at the gameshop, but she was running late. Yugi always the one to worry, was getting anxious. He tried to assure that the plane could be running late, but apparently she had called him just after her plane landed.

Jounouchi and Honda, although they were quiet, were also very nervous. Anzu wasn't one to be late. She was always punctual. Yami ran a hand through his spiked hair as he thought about the brunette. He still didn't understand why she had suddenly packed her bags and left after graduation. It was completely unexpected and they didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to her. Although she hadn't made it clear why she left, he had always felt that there had to be a very good reason.

He knew very well that Yugi was mad with him for not calling or writing to her, but he had been angry with her for just leaving them. She had always been the one to speak about friendship and stuff and ironically she had been to leave them. He had to admit that he still resented her a bit for doing that to them. That was also the reason he didn't write or call her. He felt betrayed.

He was brought out of his reverie as the phone rang. Before he could even get up, Yugi had already dashed towards the phone. Everyone watched as he stayed silent as he listened intently to whoever was at the other end of the line. Yami and the other panicked as they watched Yugi's face turn deadly pale. With a silent thank you, he put down the phone, before turning to look at them.

"Anzu was in an accident, she's at the hospital." He muttered slowly.

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Anzu was all alone in a dark place. Darkness surrounded her completely. She was sitting down and had her legs pulled up against her chest. Tiny crystals tears were threatening to fall. The last thing she remembered was bright light and then everything going black. She wasn't sure where she was.

"Someone, please help me." Anzu whispered.

She felt so alone and scared. Darkness, complete darkness surrounded her. For some unknown reason, she had always been afraid of the dark. She always felt like there was something lurking there that would soon capture her. Shaking her head, she tried to banish those thoughts. This wasn't the time to think about her stupid fears; she needed to get out of here. Looking around she was hoping to find a way out. Yet no matter how much she looked, all she could see was darkness.

Swallowing hard she stood up. She pushed her fears aside as she stood up. Sitting on her ass and feeling sorry and scared for herself would get her absolutely nowhere. She gasped as all of the sudden she could see a figure appear some feet in front of her. She wondered how she managed to see her in this darkness when she could not even see her own hands in front of her face. Pushing the thought aside, she took the time to study this person.

By the looks of it, it was a young woman. Long auburn hair cascaded along her back. Her body was toned, but still very feminine. She wore a simple black dress. With her curiosity somewhat satisfied, she decided to approach this person.

"Excuse me." Anzu said while standing up and walking towards the young woman.

Anzu scowled as the woman refused to turn around to look at her. In fact she didn't even seem to acknowledge her. Trying to get hold of her temper, she tried once again.

"Excuse me, do you know how to get out of her?" Anzu asked timidly.

The girl stayed quiet and Anzu was feeling a bit uneasy because of this. Nevertheless the girl suddenly turned around. What Anzu saw next made her heart stop.

"What? It can't be." She said while taking a step back, her azure eyes widening.

"It can't be." She repeated again.

Anzu was utterly surprised. When the woman had turned around it was as if she was gazing into a mirror at her own reflection. The girl looked exactly like her. Big azure blue eyes, creamy white skin and auburn brown hair, only hers was much longer then Anzu's. Yet Anzu could notice that she looked also more mature. Her eyes seemed to posses the knowledge of ages.

"You shouldn't be afraid." The woman spoke, knocking Anzu out of her reverie.

Anzu almost snorted at this. How was she supposed to react, it wasn't like everyday, you found out that you had a twin or something like that. And just being around Yugi taught her not to trust people that looked exactly like you, they often tended to be evil, just take Yami Malik for example. Deciding to brave herself, she concluded that she would at least find out who this person was and if she tried anything she would be forced to show her how much she had excelled in martial arts over the years. Dancing wasn't the only thing that she was good at, after all.

"Who are you?" Anzu asked trying to sound brave.

"I'm the being that is you and you're the being that is me." She answered as if it was the most obvious question in the world.

Anzu sweatdropped at this. Just great, another one that speaks in riddles, she thought. Just for once she wanted to meet one person that just came out and say what he meant. Her head snapped up as the female seemed to continue, oblivious to Anzu's thoughts.

"We're past and present."

Anzu was looking dumbfounded at her. Okay, she was officially lost. Was this woman somehow her past self? That would just make things even better. Does that mean that she would have to share her body with some other entity like Yugi and Yami had once done? Not that she was complaining, but well she had enough with her own thoughts, she wasn't really looking forward to sharing. Call her selfish, she didn't care.

"You must prepare yourself for the battle that is about to begin." Anzu looked at her "reflection", with a look that clearly stated that she wouldn't be pulled into this mess.

"You make it sound as if I have to safe this world or something." Anzu joked, even though dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

However the look on the other girl's face told that it wasn't a joke. And she instantly wiped the smile off her face.

"You're right."

"Fuck!" Anzu cursed, making her reflection look at her amusedly.

"Five thousand years ago I managed to stop Exa from getting his hands on the gifts of Anubis. However he is still out there and he will come for them. And you must stop him at any cost."

"You must be joking, I'm a dancer, not a freaking fighter. Okay, I can defend myself, but saving the world, that's a bit too much." Anzu screamed.

She had enough problems as it was at the moment. And now she had to save the world too. Come on she had to be realistic she didn't even have the courage to tell the guy that she loved how she felt and now she would need to save the world, from God knows what. Yeah, this could only end in disaster.

"Anzu. I know you can do this, trust me, trust yourself. " The girl said, snapping Anzu out of her ponderings.

She had grabbed Anzu' s hands and was holding them in hers. Anzu of course wanted nothing more than to pull away. The woman had just invaded her personal bubble and holding hands, that just a little too much at the moment. She made to pull away, but the woman only tightened his hold on her hand. Anzu rose narrowed azure eyes to look at her reflection, only to freeze when she noticed the determent expression on her reflection's face. Her blue eyes showed that she wasn't lying and that whatever Anzu tried was in vain.

She was caught off guard when for the first time since their encounter the unknown women smiled. It was a warm gentle sincere smile that warmed Anzu's heart. And in that moment, Anzu knew that she had a destiny and she had to fulfill it.

"We're one, you're me and I'm you." The woman whispered.

"Spirit, body and…"

"Soul." Anzu ended the sentence.

She didn't know how, but she knew what the other woman was thinking. They silently let go of each other's hands. Both of them lifted their hand up at the same time. Anzu lifted up her right hand and her "reflection" her left hand, their index finger reaching for one another.

"Past and…" the woman whispered.

"Present." Anzu whispered.

"Reunited." They both said in unison, their fingers touching at that same time a bright light engulfed both of them.

The last word that Anzu heard was "be strong", before she was pulled away towards the light.

**TBC………………………………………………………………………………………………….**


	3. The woman of my dreams

**The gift of Anubis.**

**By Anime-Goddess-Sakura**

**Chapter 3: The woman from my dreams.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-OH! **

Yugi looked worriedly at Anzu. She lay there quietly, her breathing was shallow; she could almost be mistaken for dead if it wasn't for the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She was connected to different tubes and wires that monitored her heart and breathing.

It's been a week, since she had been brought in. The doctors and the police had said that it was a miracle that she was alive. The taxi had been completely crushed. The taxi driver had been killed on the spot. Fortunately Anzu had been thrown out of the car, before it was completely crushed in the wall. However in being thrown out, she had suffered a strong blow to the head and broken a few ribs and many other fractures.

She hadn't awoken since the accident. The doctors weren't sure when she would wake up or if she would wake up. They had made it clear that it was a large possibility that she would stay in the coma forever.

Yugi sighed as he leaned back in the chair. Jounouchi and Honda had just left. Both of them needed to go to work in the morning. Yugi was the only one that could stay with her for the night, seeing that he worked at the game shop and his grandfather didn't mind him staying with Anzu.

"Anzu, you have to wake up. I know you're stronger than this." Yugi whispered, leaning forward and taking her hand in his.

His eyes saddened as he felt how cold her hand felt against his. He tightened his hold on her hand, while he stared at her and recalled all the good times they had in their childhood. A soft knock on the door brought him out of his musings.

Yami quietly stepped in. Yugi was surprised at first to see him, but quickly pushed his surprise away and glared at the pharaoh.

"What are you doing here?" Yugi asked angrily.

Yugi wasn't happy with Yami. This was the first time Yami had actually come to visit Anzu. He was always busy.

"Can we please talk outside, Yugi?" Yami asked quietly as his gaze shifted to Anzu.

Yugi looked ready to deny him his request, but relented as the pharaoh give him a pleading look. Sighing he stood up, but not before leaning over Anzu and giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. Yami watched the display with a bit of envy.

Even though Anzu had moved away, Yugi and her still maintained a strong friendship, unlike him and her. He wanted to blame her for all of it, but deep down he knew that he was to blame too. He could have tried harder to keep in contact her. Yugi had often told him that she asked about him when he called her. The younger man had even advised him to call her once, but he had been too stubborn.

Now as she lay there in bed, so fragile and pale, he wanted nothing more than to be able to turn back time and try to mend the friendship between them. He quietly turned and followed Yugi out of the room.

"What do you want to talk about?" Yugi asked curtly, making Yami internally wince.

He knew very well that he would be angry with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't come sooner, but something came up." Yami said calmly.

"Something came up? Did you know that her heart stopped twice? She almost died twice. And do you know that there's the possibility that she won't wake up ever again? Now tell me what could have been so important that you **pharaoh** have neglected your injured friend?" Yugi snapped his violet eyes narrowing.

"That's enough! Could you listen to me, before condemning me!" Yami snapped.

He ran a hand in irritation through his thick hair. Yugi glared at him, but kept his mouth shut as he gave him an expectant look.

"The millennium items have been reacting very strong lately. Ishizu, Marik, all of them have been feeling strangely. We have a strong feeling that something is approaching; we're not sure what. I haven't been able to visit Anzu these days, because I was afraid that whatever might be coming might follow me and endanger her. You still recall how many times I've put her in danger in the past and I don't want to do that again. I fear for her safety just like you do." He said sighing.

Yugi was taken back by what he said, but he knew that he was telling the truth, he didn't know why exactly but he too had been feeling a bit strange these days. He guessed it had to do with being bonded with Yami for so long.

"I understand." Yugi said quietly as he stared at the white tiled floor.

Silence settled between them. Neither knew exactly what to say.

"Why did you come today then?" Yugi asked softly as he raised his face to gaze into Yami's darker violet eyes.

"I had to see her. I…I fear for her safety and I care for her." Yami said trying not to fidget under Yugi's gaze.

Yugi and him had shared a body for a very long time, making Yugi the only person able to read him like a book, something that irked him. Yugi gave him a knowing smile, making the pharaoh wonder what he was thinking in that head of his.

"I see. Let's go check on Anzu." He said softly as he led the way to Anzu's room.

Yami stood dumbfounded for a moment. Not sure what Yugi was thinking, but soon a soft smile played on his lips, apparently he had been forgiven.

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Azure blue eyes snapped open as Anzu finally woke up. She quickly sat up and pulled the breathing mask from her face. She hissed and pulled the wires from her body, ignoring the small amount of blood that left the puncture wounds in her skin. The machines began beeping loudly, but she quickly shut them off.

Her whole body ached and she felt almost as if she was rundown by a bulldozer. A painful hiss left her lips, some parts of her body burned, the pain was almost unbearable. However she chose to ignore it for the moment, while she looked around.

Her blue eyes were wild, while she looked around the room. The room was unknown to her, but she could recognize it as a hospital room. She closed her eyes for a moment, due to the sudden onslaughts of flashes and memories in her head.

Thoughts so many thoughts and memories were running through her head. Her breathing became erratic, while her heart was hammering in her chest. It was a complete chaos in her mind. She clutched her hands in the bed sheets, her fingers going white under the pressure.

She slowly opened her eyes. However she wasn't able to distinct illusion from reality. The hospital room kept shifting to an ancient looking temple. She closed her eyes once again. Taking deep breaths, she tried to get a hold of herself.

Concentrating very hard, she pushed those past memories back. Now wasn't the time to dwell upon them. However it was proving to be harder than expected. Cold sweat broke out all over her body as she strained with herself. With one final mental push, she managed to gain control.

Tiredly she slumped forward. Her breath coming in short pants. After what seemed like forever, she sat back up. She was calm now; her breathing and heart beat calm. She was sure now that she was in a hospital. Azure blue eyes widened as she recalled the accident. She recalled the bright light and then everything went dark.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. This wasn't a normal accident. Juts before she had blacked out, she had felt the presence of magic. No, this was Exa's welcome present. He must have known that the time for her to 'awaken' was close. He just wanted to speed up the process. She clenched her jaw angrily. Trying to keep her temper in check, she decided to prod her injuries.

She gently traced her right ribs. She winced; some of them were broken by the feel of it. She was already healing, but nor fast enough to her. Her eyes narrowed and her one of her hands burst into violet flames. She gently lifted the hospital gown and traced her broken ribs with her fingers. She felt her healing powers quickly mending her injuries. Once satisfied with her work, she lowered her robe and stepped out of the bed.

She quickly steadied herself against the bed as her feet threatened to give up from under her. Slowly she took a step forward and was satisfied when she didn't fall down. Letting out a satisfied sigh, she slowly made her way to some clothes that were lying on a chair in the room. She recognized the clothes as being hers. Apparently whoever had brought her here had made sure she had some clothes when she woke up.

They've also brought her black duffle back. She was glad that the rest of her things had been sent ahead of her. So, they were all probably at her new apartment. The only luggage that she had had with her during the accident was the black duffle back, which miraculously seemed to have come out unscathed.

She softly slipped the hospital gown off her body, wincing slightly as the material brushed against a rather sore spot on her back. She decided to check it out later, for now she needed to get out of her. She slipped into a snug pair of dark blue jeans and a black tank top. She once again bit her lips as the top slid along her back. The burning sensation just didn't seem to want to go away. She ignored it once again, although her mind kept telling her that it was quite normal. Lastly she pulled on a pair of black high heeled boots, which she had pulled out from the duffle bag.

She tensed as she heard voices coming from the hallway. She turned to gaze at the closed door. She recognized the voices belonging to Yugi and Yami. They stopped just outside of the door. One part of her wanted to throw open the door and hug Yugi. She missed him a lot, from all of her friends, he was her closest friend. On the other hand, a part of her just couldn't go out there, especially with Yami there. She just couldn't face him, not yet. Her heart ached as she heard Yami's deep rich voice. She mentally cursed herself for feeling.

However another part of her, the one that needed to protect the gifts of Anubis knew that it would be better to leave. She knew that by staying here, she would endanger all of her friends. Exa would seek for a weakness and her friends were the only weakness she had at the moment. Picking up her duffle bag, she steeled herself; she knew what she had to do. With one last sad glance at the door, she disappeared in thin air.

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Loud music shook the whole foundation of the building, as bodies rubbed wildly against one another. The club was packed tonight; mostly of the occupants were teenagers or young adults who wished to escape the real world if only for a few hours.

From high up in of those VIP rooms, green eyes followed the people down below. The person, who these green eyes belonged to, smirked amusedly as he watched the dancing people below. He loved watching the pitiful humans. They were so oblivious to what was happening around them.

Most of them in there were drunk and some even high from illegal drugs that could be bought so easily in the establishment. Humanity had only gotten worse with the years. People killed without remorse. Countries made dangerous and fatal weapons that could wipe whole civilizations within the blink of an eye. Children abused by their own parents. Drugs, alcohol, sex. Humanity was destined to destroy itself. He was only there to give them a hand.

"Look at them; they don't even sense the danger. They almost resemble animals in heat by the way they're grinding and rubbing against one another." He said softly, even though his voice was heard by all those in the room with him.

He turned to gaze at his companions. All of them were so different in every sense of the word, but all of them were strong warriors in their own right. And each individual in the room had the same mission as him. He smirked.

"Humans have forgotten the old ways." A figure coated in darkness said, making him turn to gaze at him.

"How utterly foolish of them." The green eyed man answered seriously.

"With all due respect my Lord Exa, the princess has survived. What do you pretend to do about her?" A woman with blue hair asked, making the green eyed man gaze at her.

"I knew she would survive. Her powers had been awoken and she unconsciously protected herself. Didn't you see the shield that appeared around her?" He asked smirking.

"I did. It was strong enough to stop the truck from crushing her." The female answered clearly ticked, making Exa chuckle.

"Shouldn't we be concerned about the guardians?" The shadowy figure asked, making Exa frown.

"Why should I worry about such feeble opponents? They won't be able to do anything." Exa said calmly as he walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of champagne.

"Can I go play with them, then?" A female with long green hair said grinning.

"No, not yet. I've made my move, now it's up to the princess to make her move." Exa answered taking a sip from the champagne.

He was patient. As he had said, he had made his move, now it was up to the princess and her guardians. The planets were aligning soon, which meant that the hunt for the gifts would begin soon. She will be surprised how many things have changed. And most of them were to his advantage, in due time the gifts would be his and so would she.

And with the power of the God of death, he will create a new world, where he was king and ruled.

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Everybody hurried along, looking for a dry place as rain poured from the heavens. The strong sound of thunder was heard as lightning danced along the dark sky. Amber colored eyes watched the sky thoughtfully. While most of most people sought out some kind of cover or hurried inside, she stood there with a black umbrella over her head and staring at the sky, watching the small droplets of water.

She turned her to gaze behind her at the expensive hotel that was staying at. It was one of the best in Domino City, but truthfully she was glad to be out of the stuffy hotel. One more moment and she would have gone crazy and wrecked the whole room.

She turned her head back to gaze at the dark sky. She loved the rain, in some sense it was like being cleansed in her opinion. She stuck out her hand and watched in child-like awe as the drops hit her skin. The water was cool and felt delicious against her hand.

She made quite a picture standing there. Long blood red hair cascaded in silky tendrils along her back. Her skin was darkly tanned, giving her a very exotic look. She wore a simple white turtleneck and a black pleaded skirt that was quite short that showed off her long legs and black knee-high boots. A think red belt hung loosely around her waist. To compliment her look, she added a long black coat that reached just below her knees.

She ignored the hungry and lustful looks she got from some male passersby. Ironically she was accustomed to such looks, but that didn't mean that she didn't hate it any less. She turned once again to gaze at the hotel wishing that her father would hurry up. She sighed as she ran a hand through her long locks.

She wasn't sure what she was doing in Domino City. However since a few days ago, dreams have been haunting. Dreams that seemed so real and that were beckoning her to come to this city. Someone was waiting for her. Running her hand again through her blood red hair, she closed her eyes as her vision blurred. She had been having headaches and nausea for a few weeks already.

She had gone to the doctor, but he was unable to tell her what it was. In his opinion, she was healthy as she could be. Now that she was in Domino, the headaches and nauseas had lessened somewhat, but what bothered her now were those dreams. They were even more realistic now.

"Nathifa, I know you like the rain, but we should be going." A male voice said from beside her.

She turned to her side, to see an older man standing next to her. The older man at her side who was her father, smiled warmly at her as he offered her his arm. Her father was a very wealthy businessman and he traveled all around the world. Being the only child, he wished for her to take over the company when he decided to retire. So it was very common for her to travel with her father all over the world. She had never gone to public or private school, she was home schooled, making it easier for her to travel.

Seeing that she was sick, her father wasn't sure if he would allow her to come with him, but as soon as she heard that he was going to Domino City, she just couldn't refuse. She knew that something was waiting for her in the city and she was about to find out what it was. She just had a strong feeling concerning this city.

Her mother who passed away when she was quite young, told her to always follow her instincts and her gut feeling. She had always followed her advice and until now it had never been wrong.

"Honey, are you okay?" her father asked worriedly.

She nodded her head. As she pulled her black long coat closer to her body. She just wanted to get it over with. The meeting they had was with none other than Seto Kaiba. It wasn't the first time she met him, but she sure wished it was the last. The man was a total ass, stubborn as hell and arrogant. She sighed and to think that his father had tried to set them on date once. To say it had ended up in a disaster would have been an understatement.

The bottom line was that she didn't like Kaiba in that sense or better said she didn't like Kaiba at all. And Kaiba didn't like her. Oh, the shock, maybe it was for the fact that she didn't cower away from his icy glares. He could shove those icy glares when the sun doesn't shine.

Yet she had to chuckle for deep down Kaiba and her were somewhat the same. Maybe that was the reason why they argued so much. And to think that when she took over the company, she would have to personally deal with him. The thought made her groan.

"You look a little flushed." Her father commented worriedly as he gently put his hand on her forehead.

She had been feeling a bit under the weather today, but she wasn't about to let her father know, lest he locked her up in her room the whole day, with bodyguards, doctors and all. She absolutely hated her bodyguards. Being the heir of a multimillion dollar company wasn't that easy.

"I'm fine." She said swatting his hand away; she hated when he worried so much about her.

Her father tended to worry too much about her, especially after her mother passed away. He thought that she was a fragile glass doll that would break any moment. She could understand his concern, but all the attention sometimes bothered her. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as he looked sadly at her. She knew that she had caused that sadness by the way she acted. She felt really bad for causing him such distress, but he had to understand that she wasn't a little girl anymore.

She was just about to apologize, but was interrupted when a sleek black limo pulled in front of them. She furrowed her brows, this wasn't their limo. The KC emblem on the wheels let her know who the limo belonged to. She snorted leave it to Kaiba, to send his own limo. Why? Wasn't theirs good enough or something? She narrowed her eyes in contempt.

She was surprised though when Seto Kaiba himself stepped out of the limo. As always he looked like he had just walked out of the fashion magazine. He wore a pair of black pants, a red turtle neck and a black trench coat. The metallic colored KC on the coat gleamed as he approached them. His messy chocolate brown bangs hung in his arctic blue eyes, obscuring them a bit.

"Mr. Kalim." Kaiba said coldly as he greeted her father.

"Mr. Kaiba." Her father greeted him with a soft smile on his face as he shook Kaiba's hand.

"Ah Kaiba, you do remember my daughter Nathifa, don't you?"

Kaiba grunted an acknowledgement making her roll her eyes. Yep he was still as antisocial as ever. She turned to gaze at her father whose blue eyes held clear amusement. She narrowed her eyes at him, but decided to let it slide for this time. Slowly they got into the limo. She made sure to sit as far away from Kaiba as possible and across from him. With a short command from Kaiba, they found themselves on the way.

She drowned out their conversation as she focused on the passing building. Domino City was smaller than the other large cities that she had visited before. The limo came to stop at a red light, giving her time to gaze around more thoroughly. She grinned as she watched some children playing duel monster in the park. The virtual graphics were simply perfect.

"I see you've seen Kaiba Corp's latest dueling system." Kaiba's voice startled her.

She turned to gaze at the brunette who was staring straight at her. She turned in her seat so that she could gaze at him.

"It's rather impressive." She answered truthfully.

"It's the best in the world." Kaiba assured her, making her chuckle.

It was his turn to gaze at her as if she had grown another head. She finally managed to get hold of herself.

"You haven't changed, still as arrogant and conceited as ever." She said smiling, making him narrow his eyes at her.

Fortunately for her, her father cut in, earning Kaiba's attention and saving from an argument that would have probably broken out between them. She was secretly glad, she wasn't really feeling up for verbal sparring at the moment and she knew how brutal Kaiba could be.

She once again felt a headache coming, leaning her forehead against the glass she took a deep breath, but her eyes snapped open as she felt a strange shock go through her body. Her amber eyes sought out whatever was provoking such a strong reaction in her. They settled on a simple girl about a year or two older than her. She was walking along the sidewalk, many people surrounding her, but still she stood out.

She must have felt eyes on her, seeing that she turned to gaze at her, azure blue met amber. It was as if time had stopped at that moment, everything else failed to matter, everything zeroed in on that one female. She could hear heart beating rapidly in her chest, while her breathing accelerated. She knew her, she was almost certain, her eyes widened as she recalled the female face in her dreams, the one she was here to sought out, it was her. Another shock went through her body, making her gasp for breath, she closed her eyes.

"Nathifa." She could hear her father calling out to her, but she didn't care.

"Stop the limo!" she yelled, as she opened her eyes; the limo came to a screeching sound, jerking the occupants in it.

"What is wrong?" She ignored her father's question as she threw open the door and stepped in the pouring rain.

Cars behind them were honking loudly, while their owners were cursing at the limo driver, she didn't pay attention to them as she stepped on the sidewalk. She looked frantically around for that one girl, but she seemed to have disappeared. The passersby were giving her weird looks. Pushing herself through the crowd of people she searched desperately for that mysterious woman.

"Nathifa." She whirled around as she felt someone grasp her wrist.

She whirled around to see Kaiba standing there and gazing worriedly at her. She shook her head; no she must be imagining things Kaiba would never be worried about. Her gaze left his and watched her father standing a few feet away and gazing with curiosity at her.

"I must find her." She whispered, her eyes meeting Kaiba's once again.

"Who?"

She moved her lips, but no sound came out. Who was that girl? She didn't even have a name. Yet without even thinking it a something left her lips.

"The princes." She whispered, her eyes drifting close as she fell against Kaiba.

The brunette reacted quickly and steadied her. He called out her name, but she didn't answer. One of his hands reached for her forehead and he was assured that not only had she passed out, she had a high fever as well, cursing her turned around to see her father making his way towards them.

His chauffeur was a few feet away running towards them with an umbrella. Sighing he picked her up bridal style as he slowly made his way towards her father and chauffeur. As expected her father took her from him and made his way to the limo. He quietly followed them back to the limo, silently wondering who Nathifa had been referring to. Kaiba was a very logical man, so he concluded that she was probably hallucinating or something, but another part of him felt like something was up. Mentally berating himself he stepped in the limo.

His gaze fell on the flushed girl, who was completely soaked now, just like him, while her father cradled her unconscious form.

"To my place." He said ordered, wanting to get out of the wet clothes and he hated to admit it, he needed to get the girl dried as well.

If she stayed in those soaked clothes, she could become even sicker and than he would have to deal with a very worried business partner. He knew very well how concerned Mr. Lee was about his daughter and it was safe to presume that nothing would be done, until she was well. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took a deep breath.

'Great, there went his schedule, he thought sourly as he turned his gaze out of the window.

Yet his eyes widened as he caught sight of someone that he hadn't seen in a long time.

'Mazaki?'

**TBC…………………………………………………………………………………………**


End file.
